2026-01-05

Teaching my regular classes at the Ross Farnsworth - East Valley YMCA.

Our first class of 2026 had great attendance, and we’ve finally got enough students of sufficient rank to start a bit of genuine jiyu kumite. However, with that comes the necessity for additional safety. I’m asking everyone to purchase a mouth guard, and either purchase hand pads and head gear or use the shared gear I have on hand. I explain it like this:

• The hand pads are non-negotiable. They aren’t for you - they’re for the other person. They won’t keep you from getting bruises, but they should keep you from minor cuts if your blocks need work. (Also, for those wearing glasses, my personal rule is that the glasses come off when the gloves go on.)

• The head gear is mandatory for minors and strongly encouraged for adults. It won’t keep you from getting hurt if you walk face first into a roundhouse kick, but it will protect you from cracking your gourd on the floor if you get swept.

• The mouth guard is also mandatory for minors and strongly encouraged for adults. This one is a no-brainer. They cost less than $4 at Walmart and can save you a few thousand dollars in dental bills.

After reading all that, you may be thinking that this safety gear doesn’t sound like it protects you very much at all but, if so, you may need to change the way you think about kumite. The safety gear isn’t there to allow you to go at unreasonable, unsafe speeds. It’s there so you can go at a reasonable speed and still be protected when you (inevitably) make a mistake or two.

Think of it like the safety equipment in your car. The seatbelt and airbags shouldn’t encourage you to drive at dangerously unsafe speeds. If you hit a telephone pole at 100 mph, you’re probably still going to die. However, if you’re driving at reasonable speeds, they’ll do a very good job of protecting you when you have a fender-bender.